REGULATION: Death of a Dye

Without it, instant chocolate pudding
would be greenish, artificially flavored grape soda would look blue,
and cake mixes would have a lemony-green tinge. The substance is Red
Dye No. 2, which has been used for decades to brighten up innumerable
products, including frankfurter casings, pet foods, ice cream, gravies,
makeup and myriad red pills. About 1 million pounds of the
coal-tar-based stuffa $5 million industry in itselfhave ended up
annually in more than $10 billion worth of foods, drugs and cosmetics.